I should also note that I’m in western WA where it’s rainy and wet 80% of the year lol

Yes, think more along the lines of a frame with wire, rather than a solid structure. A good option is to have at least three bins, so you can fill one up and then let it "process". Then fill the second, and by the time you get to the third, the first bin will have compost finished enough to start shoveling out and in to the garden. So at any given time you have one bin you are adding to, one that is cooking, and one that is compost available for the garden.

I don’t use chicken wire, because it sags, but I do love a sturdy hardware cloth bin. I lifted one today, set it aside and liberated it of its contents. Anything that looked a little rough got tossed in the set aside bin. I put the empty bin next to another full bin and tomorrow, I‘ll flip that bin into the newly empty bin. They last forever, too.

Right! Definitely won’t have it closed off. We used a hole saw to make holes in the plywood walls.
(Didn’t like my pallet idea so he drew up the plywood one)

We have walls and lids cut and holes about 1 1/2” wide. We’re going to do the two-bin system.
Rather than have it open-faced, I asked him to make the middle wall removeable to shift piles. I also plan to diligently aerate once per week. This will hopefully make up for not having it open-faced.

Having a heap won’t work - we have a dog ;)

He already waterproofed the outside, so I hope that’s okay! We won’t be doing the inside walls for sure!

The open face isn't for aeration it's to save your spine. If it isn't open faced moving stuff from one side to another will murder your back. Even if the the middle wall is removable you'll still have to lean into the bins to empty them. If you do make front walls make them removable, not the middle wall. I use 5 pallets in an E form. It's easy to move stuff from one side to the other.

If the edges of the plywood get wet, the plywood will begin to delaminate.

It might work if it was exterior grade plywood. But like others' comments, a fully enclosed bin (irregardless of any holes drilled into the sides) is not going to make the best or most efficient design :-)

btw, it rains a whole lot less here than many other parts of the country!!

I doubt it was a high grade plywood, plus if they drilled holes.

I recommend writing this coffin off to learning, get some pallets.

I recommend asking for help before. Doing things require: common sense and experience.

Well, while this may not be the best design at least it will get them started and that's the main thing. The drawbacks will quickly become apparent, but live and learn. I suspect once they have some black gold and this system starts to decompose, they'll rethink it. I did and I've been at it for years. I used wire between my bins and will upgrade to chain link if I can ever get them empty. I started with leaves in black plastic bags and then old fencing and now pallets on another level. With a lot of leaves I'm looking to add on even more.

Thank you for the insight everyone!
I appreciate it very much!

This is definitely not a permanent plan - I eventually want to make red cedar bins. As you can imagine now more than ever, people and resources are running thin. There aren’t even available chicken coops in our area - people are prepping and learning to be self-sufficient!

The front walls will also be removable (to make a note here.. anything can be removable ;) it’s just a matter of a few screws being removed)

I didn’t know about this resource before asking for help.. otherwise I would’ve put this up sooner. The books I was reading didn’t touch on alternative materials.. [your] common sense comment isn’t much appreciated. Doing the best that I can with the resources that I have [had].

Upgrades when money and resources are more available, will definitely be planned better.

Thanks - for now!

PS - it is exterior-grade plywood! He thought of that much.. ;) we’ll do what we can for now, to get started and upgrade as soon as we’re able..

Another resource is printed material: books and magazines.

Learn how to do your own research before, instead of asking for help after....

exterior grade is about twice the cost, with exposed edges, doesn’t matter. Epoxy paint the edges for use in a wet environment. You don’t know, what you don’t know...experience.

Composting has been done forever, your box has been tried and rejected.

Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine.

Thank you for your insight. I appreciate the lesson.

That was a bit mean. It's clear the Opie is trying their best. With that said of encouragement they may give up entirely! Or leave this form which would be a shame. Excuse my voice recognition on my phone. Who's does not work with it very well. And I cannot type. For your future box I might advise against the cedar. Something that I would do where I starting from scratch and didn't have so much material to use such as pallets and old fencing, would be what they call cattle panel. This can be attached to wooden posts it is very attractive in that natural sort of way and provides excellent aeration. Are you in a Suburban location for you want this compost bin completely hidden?

I'd love to go to the library now and get some books and magazines but they're all closed. I guess I could look and see what they have online. Online resources range from good to horrible.

maybe more like a dose of reality.

I would suggest you do not screw the front walls on. You are not going to want to get a screwdriver out every time you want to fiddle with your compost. That could be every few days if you're really keen. Hang the front walls on hooks and eyes or hinge them like gates. Although the open gate will be in your way. Plus screws are likely to get stiff in the wet atmosphere and dirty environs.

Here you go: How to make a compost bin

Theres a stack of other instructions on the web, just keep it simple.

If you don't have pallets use your plywood instead. Or any old lumber. I've had several bins made of old floorboards and bits of dilapidated shed. It's a compost bin, not an item of furniture. It's going to get wet and dirty and it's going to get bashed around. All it has to have is three or four permeable walls that won't fall over. No floor, no lid. That's all.

Give a person a fish and they eat for a day, teach a person how to fish and they eat for a lifetime.

this about common sense and experience. If you do not have the experience, do research...I do not recommend forums, I recommend printed material...

common sense is the hard part

VaporVac - Yes - suburban environment! Really don’t have a whole bunch to compost, but looking to start somewhere! We have a plot flattened and ready for bins, not too worried about placement other than making sure it doesn’t get rained on, not too close to buildings/trees and the like! I’ve not heard the term cattle panel before! But I can likely get my hands on what you described after all this craziness! So many vendors that I would be able to reach out to are closed or don’t have extra resources to provide (for profit or not!) so much of what I’ve read suggest red cedar! It’s good to know of something else! Can I ask why no cedar?

FloralUK - those are great alternative ideas! Thank you! I’ll see what we have and/or what we can get our hands on. Lines at any hardware store in my community are taking more than an hour to get inside due to new social distancing regulations (which is great!) so getting materials has been tough! But my little kitchen compost bin is getting really sick of me 😅

Jim Mat - you are a fascinating individual. As if what’s happening now isn’t as much of a reality check as anyone could possibly need..
I will say it again though, I appreciate your insight! Experience is invaluable, you are correct...But your soft skills could certainly stand to improve. Now, if I could provide some pointers to you... Nothing you have said is more constructive or instructive than what these other lovely folk have shared..who are looking to educate, not point a finger. Take a look at their input and maybe you can make improvements in your life while I make improvements to my composting abilities! Thank you!

I am not trying to be your friend.

As that is glaringly obvious, I am not surprised..nor am I after your friendship. My mother raised me to treat others with courtesy and respect. You offered “advice” so I am simply extending the same.

Rain won't bother your compost bin. In fact the material needs to be kept moist. If you shield it from rain you'll end up having to water it! If it really starts to deluge just stick a bit of tarp over it for a while.

If you don't recommend forums, then why do you spend so much of your time here?

Tahni, just ignore his comments. The were condescending, unpleasant and not the slightest bit helpful. This forum is usually filled with a lot of very good, practical information from a lot of usually very friendly and experienced participants. There's not much you can't learn about composting from hanging out here! Flora's post and link above is a great place to start. And there are tons of great how-to's online as well for all sorts of compost bin constructions as well as excellent extension service publications on all aspects of composting.

If we were not currently involved in our state's stay in place directives, I could suggest some excellent local (King County) composting resources.

FloralUK - thank you for that! I don’t know if I should anticipate having to water :) from what I’ve been reading about the balance and being in my area, I’m more worried about getting enough of the right dry stuff! I mostly have kitchen scraps (veggie waste, coffee grounds, banana peels, strawberry butts, etc.)and leaves/pine needles/general yard waste to contribute (all of which is usually wet due to my area’s environs). Not a whole lot at that - two adults, one coffee drinker, one who eats more fruits and veggies, and the other more of a meat eater (I know not compost meat/dairy!) What is your experience with these types of compostables/how often to water? I imagine these items making a nice, wet pile! But I don’t for sure yet! I’ve just had my kitchen composter, and like I said before, it’s mad at me 😅

GardenGal - thank you so much for your input! I imagined this resource being immensely helpful and I certainly don’t want to come off ungrateful! I still plan to use this forum a bunch as I grow my pile and as more resources come available. Right now, my aim is to contain a small pile for now, then build when it builds 😅 I look forward to the day I can pick your brain for local resources! The more local, the better!

I am probably done...with compost this season....mixed ~2 yards of 2 yr old compost with burn pile ashes and spread over the yard. I have gophers and the dogs have dug after some of them, used the compost ash mix to fill in the digging, mulched around fruit trees. Took 3 days, over 30 wheel barrow loads.

i do not recommend forums for: dumb a......, posters who play victims, people who do not do their own research....people looking for assurance.

I would not ask about composting on a composting web site without reading prior posts, and I would post about doing my own thing, when it is contrary to consensus.

Many who post here need assurance not assistance, they should be taught how to do their own reseaech. We, who answer, some knowledgeable some peanut gallery, do this for our reasons. But for the sake of people wanting knowledge, this is not the best resource

Instead of a compost pile for household waste, if you have the room, dig a 10-15 gallon size hole in you yard. 1’ diameter, 3-4’ deep. Use, dig another as needed.

you, may not like me, but I have been there, done that

in a few years, you have a rotting wood box of compost, what are your plans?

Thank you, Jim.

As I’ve said already, this was not meant to be a permanent solution. Due to this global pandemic and the resources it’s dwindling, desirable material is harder to come by (as is the money needed to purchase said items). We are attempting to make do with what we have / can reasonably get right now.
A few years, sure goes by quick, but not quick enough that we can’t update our bins and heed the wisdom provided here and elsewhere. Right now, I need somewhere to just start. My original question was whether or not this current plan was “okay” - hopefully implying “is this going to contaminate my compost?” I could have been more clear there, I admit. Perhaps even better, “will this be okay while we wait for the pandemic to die down?”
I am hopeful that by the time I need new material, stores & shops will be back to their normal capabilities and we can easily get everything we need/recommended here and elsewhere.

You can use paper and cardboard if you don't have enough browns. And put in all your garden waste other than thick branches and the roots of perennial weeds. Don't get hung up on ratios and balances. It all turns to compost in the end.

All my compost bins have rotted over the years. They last a few years and then I rebuild. The old bin gets composted;-)

I can buy more compost for $5 than you can make in a year.

trying to justify the expense of a compost bin doesn’t pencil out.

you went down the wrong path.....ask for help during your planning stage.

this site loves to help.....but what can we do, when you ask for help after...

FloralUK - brilliant! Thank you!

Tahni, I have over an acre and have so much compost from trees, but I still ask my neighbors for their leaves and grass clippings. I've had yard companies give me the grass clippings also. Cardboard was a great idea if you get a lot of rain like we do here.

I, on the other hand have a tiny garden, probably about the size of a large American double garage. And I have a compost heap which swallows all my household organic waste and all my garden waste except branches. Every year I have enough compost to do two distributions over the beds. I make compost for two main reasons. One is for the garden and the other is for the planet. I don't send any organic material to landfill. I don't do it to save money but it presumably does since I've never bought compost.

On my allotment I have three more compost bins which use up all weeds, grass clippings and vegetable waste. That compost goes onto my vegetable beds.

VaporVac & FloralUK -
Thank you so much for the input! I’ll definitely come back and check in with more questions I’m sure 🙃and when it comes time to update bins I’ll reach out earlier ;)

If you come back, don’t be a victim, don’t ask for help after, don’t tell us your financial issues

maybe some some relationship team build councelling......why did you come to the internet ?

Jim, please, just stop!! Why do you feel the need to persist with these completely inappropriate and off topic comments? Keep your personal opinions to yourself and just address the specific questions at hand.

You are coming perilously close to bullying and your comments being flagged as abusive and inappropriate. If you want to psychoanalyze someone, go elsewhere!!

I compost because that’s how my father’s family dealt with household waste, and the resulting product was what they used for mulch in the garden. My niece has composted all of her life, but she’s not a gardener and her compost is never harvested. Jim Mat doesn’t get it, he’s actually opposed to composting, and no, you can’t get diddly compost for $5. What’s the point of shooting his mouth off for nothing? Dig bucket-sized holes all over her yard?! Snort!

An exterior grade plywood will last a long time. The one thing you really should reconsider is what Flora said—-screwing the fourth side is going to be nothing but a pain. I made a three sided bin once with the fourth side being 1” x 6” boards that were all removable by sliding them up.

Anyway, have fun. You can compost paper, wool, and cotton, too, although I’m a little cautious about dyes. If your husband gets into composting also, it won’t be long at all before you’re going to need that second set-up.

Idk if y’all have looked at his activity also, but he seems to have a pattern of trolling everyone he contacts on this forum. Regardless of topic. It’s so interesting how one person can be so unpleasant and attempt to belittle everyone they encounter on the internet! No one has played any kind of victim.

You want people to feel like victims so you can get your rocks off. Good luck with that, Jim.

GardenGal - I appreciate the rally more than you know :)

AnnPat - thank you for your insight! I appreciate your knowledge! I had thought about dyes being problematic, so I’m super glad for that bit as well!

This is a wonderful, responsive forum/community. I’m so glad I joined! ❤️

I bought a large barrel composter made of steel many years ago. It is elevated and rodent/pest proof. I put some of my yard waste (mostly forested land so the leaves stay where they fall or are blown there from the civilized part of the yard). I put all my kitchen scraps, including meat/bones/dairy - all of it, into the composter. Somehow, I suspect from adding plants pulled from the earth with roots and dirt attached, earthworms showed up in my composter. Not being a worm loving (formerly, but I am now) person, it kind of grossed me out at first, but when I saw what they did to the compost, I was converted. They digested everything but the shellfish shells and made the most fabulous, broken down compost you can imagine.

I imagine if your composter is sitting on the bare earth that worms will show up on their own, but if they don't, try adding a few shovels full of dirt with worms and let them work their magic. Making compost from your waste is really gratifying and your plants will love it. Good luck!

Olychick - that’s awesome!! The bins are in a wormy part of the yard for sure and it’s on bare earth :) that’s so cool to learn! Thank you!!